Marcus Elliot and Detroit Parks Coalition Recieve 2024 Joyce Awards

The $100,000 grant will support the creation and presentation of Sounds from the Park, 

a suite of site-specific works illuminating the stories, histories, and cultures of 

Detroit’s parks and their surrounding neighborhoods.

Marcus Elliot and the Detroit Parks Coalition today were announced as recipients of the Joyce Foundation’s 2024 Joyce Awards, receiving a landmark grant of $100,000 to support a new commission, including $30,000 allocated for an artist stipend. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the foundation’s signature annual grantmaking program that has supported artists of color in the creation of new, community-centered works with organizational partners across the Great Lakes region. 

Supported by the $100,000 grant, Detroit-based saxophonist, composer, improviser, and educator Marcus Elliot will create Sounds from the Park, a suite of site-specific works composed to illuminate the diverse stories, multifaceted histories, and varied cultures of Detroit’s parks and their surrounding neighborhoods. Commissioned by the Detroit Parks Coalition and developed through a series of co-creation workshops, interviews, and park visits with the residents and communities that surround and use each park, Elliot will transform his community interactions into improvisation-rich compositions rooted in Detroit’s parks and their neighborhoods. The commission will culminate in performances of the works in each park for the people that inspired them, and a recording that captures the live music against the backdrop of the city soundscape. The project will illuminate the histories and relationships of Detroit’s public green spaces and the communities they serve while fostering a shared sense of belonging and place.

“Ranging from old growth forests to wildlife habitats to places of gathering and recreation, Detroit’s storied parks are a vital community resource that have historically faced systemic neglect and disparities along racial and class lines, reinforced by a lack of awareness of their vibrant histories and ecologies,” said Elliot. “By uplifting the communities, voices, and histories surrounding the city’s parks in a joyful communal activation, Sounds from the Park will celebrate Detroit’s natural treasures and build momentum towards conserving and creating equitable access to public green space.”

With the expansion of each grant from $75,000 to $100,000, 2024 marks the program’s largest total amount awarded to date, with $500,000 in grants to support five community-centered artistic projects. The 2024 awardees deeply engage Great Lakes communities through co-creation and collaboration across disciplines including theater, music, and sculpture, to explore diverse cultures, identities, and experiences; invigorate public spaces; and foster healing and connection for a more equitable future. The other 2024 awardees are: Andrea Assaf with the Arab American National Museum (Dearborn, MI); Terry Guest with Chicago Children’s Theatre (Chicago, IL); Katie Ka Vang with Theater Mu (Saint Paul, MN); and Edra Soto with The Sculpture Center (Cleveland, OH). 

“The 2024 awardees join an outstanding group of artists and leaders who have built a legacy of transformative art across Great Lakes communities,” said Joyce Foundation President and CEO Ellen Alberding. “As we mark two decades of the Joyce Awards, we want to celebrate the artists and communities who have enriched the Great Lakes region, and those who will build on this work in the years to come.” 

“This year’s Joyce Awards artists and organizations are responding to some of the most urgent issues facing our region and beyond. From addressing the impacts of incarceration and war to invigorating and expanding access to public spaces and highlighting the diversity of immigrant experiences and cultural identities, these transformative projects will promote healing and community connections while inspiring social change,” said Mia Khimm, Joyce Foundation Culture Program Director. “We’re proud to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Awards by celebrating the work of artists, organizations, and communities that are helping us to imagine and build a more equitable and vibrant future for the Great Lakes region.”